1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to image processing, and particularly, a method and an apparatus for detecting an interest degree of a crowd in a target position, and a method for detecting crowd density.
2. Description of the Related Art
The technology of detecting an interest degree of a crowd in a target position is widely used in many fields such as building internal layout, security monitoring, etc. For example, such technology is usually used in the field of building internal layout to detect an interest degree of a crowd of visitors in an exhibition item at a target position in an exhibition hall, by which an important basis for decision-making can be provided for a decision maker to rationally arrange display counters, perform crowd-control and efficiently utilize the space of the exhibition hall. As another example, such technology is usually used in the field of security monitoring to detect an interest degree of a crowd in a target position of the security monitoring such as a train station or a government building, who gathers around the target position of the security monitoring; so that a basis for decision-making can be provided for a decision maker to determine whether such crowd might disturb public order (for example, hold a demonstration) or endanger public security.
Currently, as a conventional method for detecting an interest degree, crowd density (number of persons in the crowd) is determined by manual count, automatic count based on WIFI or RFID, and detection and tracking in a photographed image; and it is regarded that the interest degree in a target position is relatively high if the crowd density is large, otherwise it is regarded that the interest degree in the target position is relatively low if the crowd density is low. However, human cost of determining the number of persons by manual count is often high, the accuracy of automatically counting the number of persons based on WIFI or RFID is low, and the accuracy of determining the number of persons by detecting and tracking the persons in a photographed image greatly decreases at a crowded place. On the other hand, in these methods, only the crowd density is considered to determine an interest degree of a crowd in a target position, and the impact of other elements on the interest degree is ignored; thus these methods are not objective. For example, the crowd density around an exhibition item on the way which must be passed in an exhibition hall is usually high; however, it cannot be explained that the interest degree of the crowd in this exhibition item is very high, since the reason for that is because this exhibition item is just on the only way for the crowd to pass.
In view of at least one of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide a method for detecting an interest degree of a crowd in a target position that can objectively, accurately and automatically detect the interest degree of the crowd in the target position, even at a crowded place where it is difficult to track an individual.